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Thursday, July 25, 2013

Out On A Limb


Antheraea polyphemus, a.k.a., a "giant silk moth."

I am going to go out on a limb here and give a little more information about the webinar I am scheduled to do for Weaving Today later in August.

The topic is A Good Yarn and it will present information on fibre and yarn characteristics.

It is my belief that, in order to make good choices, weavers need to understand more about the inherent characteristics of their materials.

If a weaver does not choose wisely or well, they may be disappointed in their results.

So I have spent the last few days upgrading the Power Point presentation that I have been giving to guilds and at conferences to make it more eye appealing for its debut on the internet.

The above photo is one I took this morning to illustrate the silk page.  It is one of the silk moths native to North America.  No, it is not a Bombyx Mori, from which we get 'cultivated' silk.  But that is not the only species which spins a silk cocoon.

My contact at Weaving Today is out of the office this week, but is sourcing some other photos for me and I will be putting the finishing touches on the presentation before I leave again in August.  I want this wrapped up before I go so that I don't have to worry about anything but how I do the presentation when the time comes.  :)

As soon as I get the go ahead, I will post the registration information here.  If you have already taken this topic from me, you might find this a good refresher with the added benefit that you will have unlimited access to review it once it is posted on the website - for 3 months.  Always wanted a re-wind on life?  This may be your chance!

Currently reading Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb

3 comments:

  1. Did you know it's National Moth Week? I've been up to my elbows in moth dust, putting together night-time events and reading lots of blog posts about moths. I was delighted to see that this one was another weaver with a native Saturniid.

    I love this particular silk moth - it's cousin to the Chinese Tussah and Indian Tasar moths, and makes a lovely silk. I can confirm from personal experience that it is indeed reelable, making a fine, shiny tan filament impossible to distinguish from Tussah without microscopy, and can be carded and spun to make a lovely soft yarn of varying shine (mostly based on cocoon condition and technique choices).

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  2. Thanks for the additional fibre info! No, I didn't know it was Moth Week. Nice to find that out, too. :)

    Cheers
    Laura

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  3. And for anyone interested in Michael's ventures into silk moths, etc., check out his website http://wormspit.com

    cheers,
    Laura

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